The Life of a Teenage Shadowhunter
by Miss Dido
Summary: Clary and Jace's relationship is picking up after their return from Idris, and Clary is receiving proper training. It seems that everything is back to normal, but is just the calm before another yet storm?
1. Asking For It

"Come on, Clary, you've only got half an hour left."

"Alec, if I finish this session, I swear, I'm going to collapse," Clary panted, hands on her knees. "Besides, I've already beat you twice," she grinned.

"That was only because you cheated. Using your ability to create runes against me isn't fair play," he insisted.

"You know it is and you're just being a sore loser. It's how I would fight, had you been a real demon. I think you're being unfair."

"Fine, fine, go. You're dismissed." He waved his hand at her dismissively.

"Thanks," she smiled and raced off in the direction of her room. Nothing sounded more appealing to her than a hot shower right then.

"Whoa! Slow down in the hallways, would ya, Clary?" Magnus called over his shoulder as she passed him. She chose to ignore him and headed straight for her room. When she came out of the steaming shower, dressed in jeans and a tank top, she hardly expected to see Jace, lying on her bed.

"God, Jace, give me a heart attack, why don't you?" she exclaimed, a hand over her heart. He merely sat up and smirked at her.

"I hear you skipped out early on training."

"It was only half an hour! And besides, I knew that Alec was meeting Magnus today, so I used their infatuation to my advantage. Had it been any other day, Alec never would've let me go."

"Ah, cunning," Jace grinned.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, sitting down on the bed facing him, cross-legged.

"I went to Taki's to get everyone food but I ran into a Rakmon demon on the way home." Clary raised her eyebrow.

"You _ran into_ one, Jace? We are talking about Rakmon demons, the ones who mostly dwell in sewers and only come out on the winter solstice, right?" Jace sighed and nodded. "You went after one didn't tell any of us? What if you had run into a nest of them Jace? None of us would have had a clue where to look for you! God, you can be so impulsive sometimes, it drives me crazy."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" His infamous cockiness laced his words. Clary glared at him before punching him in the arm as hard as she could and then leaving her room. "What was that for?" Jace demanded, catching just outside her door in the hallway.

"Jace, one of these days, you're going to get yourself killed, and then you'll see why everyone around here is so petulant with you all the time." She walked down the hallway to the elevator, where Church was waiting patiently for her.

"Wait, where are you going?" he demanded, sticking his hand in front of the elevator doors.

"I'm going to Simon's. Who knows, maybe I'll run into a Greater Demon somewhere and take him on. I'll let you know when I get back." She glared at him and smacked his hand away from the door. They slide shut on his astonished face and her satisfied one.


	2. No More Running

"Yo, Simon!" Clary shouted walking into his room.

"Yo, Clary, I'm right here! No need to shout, especially with my new ears," he grinned, getting up from his bed and giving her a hug. "You look slightly distraught. What's up?"

"Nothing, just Jace being Jace. Let's go for a walk, I'm craving polluted New York air." She shoved her hands in her jacket pocket as she waited for Simon to collect his things. He'd been playing World of Warcraft, of course, and was in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. "For a vampire, you sure take your sweet time." Simon threw a playful glare over his shoulder and pulled on his jacket at last.

"Alright, let's go, your highness."

"How've you been? It seems like it's been forever since I've seen you," Clary said as they walked out into cool, twilight air.

"Well, for one thing, I'm pretty sure it's only been four days. And I'm good."

"Yeah? How are things with Izzy?" Clary almost thought that she saw Simon's cheek redden, but of course, they didn't.

"Good, I guess."

"You guess? Simon, you've been waiting to have some gorgeous girlfriend to fawn over and now all you can say is that you _guess_ it's going good? Come on, you've gotta give me something more than that!"

"It's still early, Clary, it's hard to tell if it's going to be anything," Simon sheepishly said as his head ducked down.

"Alright, alright, I surrender. Just let me know if anything major happens, okay?" He nodded. "So… have you… kissed her?"

"Clary!"

"What, Simon, I'm your best friend! I have an unwritten right to know these kinds of things." They turned around a corner and Clary lithely dodged a guy who wasn't paying any attention to where he was going.

"Yes, I have."

"What? No way, how was it?" Simon bit his lip. "Oh come on, just one adjective, that's all I'm asking for."

"Fine, it was… nothing that I expected." When he looked at Clary's expression and found it astonished, he said, "In a good way… I just couldn't – I was having a hard time thinking of an adequate word for it."

"Oh, Simon, that is _so cute_!" He smiled at her as they kept walking.

"Okay, enough about me. Why were you frustrated about Jace when you showed up?"

"It was nothing, it's just his incompetent brain won't let him comprehend danger." Simon waited for her to elaborate. "He went chasing after a Rakmon demon today! He said he was going to Taki's, and he actually went down to a sewer and fought a demon, without telling anyone! It's so infuriating. But I'm over it; I think I made him realize how I felt about it." Clary smiled as she remembered how his face looked as the elevator doors closed between them.

"You guys are so dangerous, yet so perfect for each other, it's insane. I'm waiting for the day where you get pushed past your limits and get in some sort of combat," Simon grinned as they turned into one of the nicer neighborhood parks in the area.

"Yeah, so am I. It won't be pretty, that's for sure." Clary and Simon meandered through the park and many blocks, catching up on just about everything before they were back at the Institute.

"And this is where I leave you." Simon bowed at the gate. Clary grinned at him before pulling him into hug.

"You're such a doofus. I'll say hi to Isabelle for you." He glared slightly at her, but she saw the underlying smile in his eyes. "Bye!" she called to his retreating form. He waved without turning around. She smiled and walked into the old church in front of her, only to be met by a very angry Jace.

"Hey, Jace…" She said, easing around him and making her way down to the elevator.

"Did you fight any demons while you were gone?" he demanded, stepping in her path again in one movement.

"No, God, Jace. I just went for a walk with Simon. I was just kidding with you when I said that whole Greater Demon thing, jeez."

"Yes, well, it would be just like you to do something like that just to spite me," he muttered, stepping closer to her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she admitted. To tease him, she ignored his advance and walked to the elevator. She pressed the call button and stood with her back to Jace. If she hadn't been listening, she wouldn't have heard his nearly silent approach from behind her.

"You're teasing me," he muttered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling him up against her.

"You deserve it," she said back. He chuckled, but only placed a kiss on her temple.

"I am sorry, you know."

"No you're not." The elevator dinged open and Clary stepped in, Jace in perfect synch behind her.

"Okay, let me rephrase. I'm sorry that I can't resist a challenge, and that that is how I will always be."

"That's better." She turned around in his arms and looked up at him. "Although, you're forgetting the part about you being a selfish jerk." A corner of his mouth twisted up but he said nothing.

"Too bad I am completely okay with that part of myself."

"Yeah, it is." The door opened up and Clary walked out, this time pulling out of Jace's arms. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go blow off some steam by kicking the crap out of a very unfortunate training dummy." She walked to her room and changed into a sports bra and yoga pants. Walking out of her room, she started pulling her hair back in a ponytail. She stopped when she saw Jace leaning up against the wall, in sweat pants and a t-shirt.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I just thought that maybe I could come with you." He pushed off the wall and started walking with her.

"I hardly think you want me to spar with you right now."

"And why's that?"

"Because, I'm feeling a little resentment towards you right now and so I would be taking all my anger _towards_ you out on you."

"I doubt that it will be that bad." He smiled.

"Fine." Clary took in a controlled breath and let it out slowly. "No steles, no runes, just fighting," she said as they walked into the training room.

"Fine by me," Jace said as he stopped in front of her, peeling off his shirt and throwing it to the side. Clary positioned herself in a stance, readying herself for the upcoming fight. Normally, he would have the upper hand, by she was thoroughly pissed at him and she knew she could take him.

Jace took on a similar stance and they stood looking at each other for a minute before Jace attacked, taking Clary by surprise. He made a kick at her front leg, knocking it out from under her. She was startled at first, stumbling. But when she planted the leg back down on the ground, she picked the other one up and landed a roundhouse kick to Jace's stomach.

He recovered quickly and grabbed her foot, lifting it up as high as he could reach. To his surprise, Clary's leg stretched the whole way and she managed to land a well placed punch to his chest, right about his heart. He let go, taking a step back. Clary righted herself and before he had the chance to recover, she advanced on him, hitting once in the eye and once in the abdomen. He grabbed her fist before she had a chance to do anything else.

"You didn't think I'd let you win that easily, did you?" he grinned, twisting her arm so that she was forced to spin around with her back to him. He grabbed her other hand before she could use it and she was trapped in his arms. Doing the first thing that came to mind, she reared her head back and felt it made contact with cartilage, hearing it crack behind her.

Stunned, Jace let go of her and she stumbled forward and a couple steps. Turning around, she took a running jump at him and completely knocked him to the ground, straddling his stomach.

"I told you that I was mad at you," she grinned, enjoying his bewildered expression. His nose had an obvious crookedness to it that wasn't there before and there was a trickle of blood coming out of it.

"I just can't believe that just happened."

"Well you should obviously start coming to my training sessions more often. I hope now you can see that I'm just as good a fighter as you are." The door opened and Isabelle came in.

"Clary, that was brilliant!" She cried, tossing her a stele. Clary caught it and drew an _iratze _on his shoulder. "Did you really just break his nose?"

"Isabelle," Jace said, with a tone of finality.

"Fine, fine, but I'm going to go find Alec so I can tell him." Isabelle pivoted on her stiletto heel and walked out of the room. Clary looked back and Jace and could already see his nose getting better. She traced one of the permanent runes that covered the right half of his chest and looked at him.

"Sorry for breaking your nose," shemurmured.

"It's okay, I deserved it. I had no idea you could fight like that," he said. Taking advantage of their position, Clary leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Get used to it," she whispered in his ear before jumping up from where she was and sprinting out of the room. She rounded the corner and ran into the library, hearing Jace on her tail. She slammed the heavy wooden door shut and was running for the opposite end when a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.

Spinning her around, Jace held her close to him.

"I think you've done enough running away from me today." His voice was low and husky as he , leaned his head close to hers. Clary was only able to nod numbly. Now that all of her anger was gone, she was once again a victim of his devastatingly good looks. "You never cease to amaze me, Clarissa Fray," he whispered, before finally capturing her lips with his.


	3. He Couldn't Resist

It was somewhere in the middle of the night that Clary was shaken out of her deep slumber.

"Clary, wake up," Isabelle hissed. She opened her eyes and wiped the sleep out of them, only to find Isabelle standing over her bed, decked out in Shadowhunter gear and her whip coiled around her wrist.

"What is it?" She sat up partially in her bed.

"Get dressed. Jace and Alec found a nest of Rakmon demons and they need our help ten minutes ago."

"If the demons don't kill him, I swear I will," she muttered, throwing her sheets back and changing into her gear as fast the stiff material would let her. She laced up her knee high combat boots. Sliding two seraph blades into the loops on her belt, she followed Izzy out the door.

Once outside the Institute, Isabelle broke out in a sprint. "Come on, it's only three blocks away!" she shouted over her shoulder at Clary. Without a word, Clary followed her. "Magnus is meeting us there, he left before we did."

Sure enough, Magnus stood in the middle of the street, pacing in front of a manhole cover. When they screeched to a halt in front of him, he stared. "What's the big emergency?" he asked.

"Jace and Alec 'came across' a nest of Rakmon demons and Alec called and said they needed help," Isabelle said, barely out of breath. Magnus's eyebrow twitched a little before blue sparks ignited his finger tips and the manhole cover levitated for a second before dropping noisily onto the ground.

"Oh, god," Clary whispered as she lowered herself in and the stench became overwhelming. Landing in the sewage lightly, she called up that she was clear and stepped away from the opening in the roof. Isabelle and Magnus joined her shortly after. They didn't have to walk far before they heard the snarls and shouts.

"Let's go!" Getting up on the narrow ledge lining the tunnel, they broke out into run. Clary nearly slipped once, but Izzy steadied her. They rounded the corner and saw Alec and Jace up against five or six Rakmon demons, all of which towered over them.

"Damn," Magnus muttered. Clary launched into attack. She had to admit, they were very intimidating. She'd never seen such a big group of adult Rakmon demons in one place. They were seven foot demons that emanated a hideous odor. Although, next to the stench of the sewer, it was hard to tell they smelled at all. They were easy enough to kill if you got the opportunity to stab their throat, which was their only weak point. Naming her blades, she took in the scene in front of her.

"Jace!" One of the demons was coming up behind him while he was busy fighting two other demons. It raised its massive clawed hand and moved to take a swipe at Jace's head. Clary ran, propelling herself off of a recently fallen demon, and attached to the back of the offending monster. It screeched in surprise and thrashed around, trying to throw her off. Its claw nicked her cheek. She growled and thrust her blade into its exposed throat.

The sound it made could only be described as nails on a chalkboard as it folded in on itself and dissolved into ash, before returning to the realm it came from. Clary looked at her ichor covered hand in disgust. Jace whirled around and looked at her in astonishment.

"Nice of you to make it," He grinned at last minute.

"Wow, for a second there, I thought you were actually going to _thank _me."

"You speak as if you don't know me, Clary." She fell in step with him and wiped her blade clean on her sleeve. Another demon stepped up and it almost seemed to sneer at them with his four cold, unseeing eyes. She narrowed her eyes at him and placed a blow to stomach, the thick sole of her boot knocking the air out of its chest. As it staggered, Jace casually flicked a dagger at its jugular, being dead on, of course.

Magnus was flipping a demon over in circles with his hand outstretched towards it with a lazy smile on his face. "Magnus," Alec frowned. The demon shrieked and then it was completely vaporized.

"Can't I have any fun?" He smirked, looking around. The only demon left was with Isabelle, and she had its throat wrapped up in her whip. She drew it tight with a flick of her wrist and the demon shrieked, its claws grasping at the coils before disintegrating.

"Well, that was entertaining," Alec said, wiping a smear of demon blood of his cheek.

"And how, might I ask, did you two come upon this nest?" Magnus asked, flicking his hair over his shoulder.

"Uh…" Alec looked at Jace, who shrugged and made a move to start walking away.

"Yeah, _Jace_, how did you find them?" Clary stopped him, jabbing a finger at his chest.

"I knew that there had to be more than the one I found and thought Alec and I would help get rid of the nuisance. We didn't count on there being so many, let alone all of them being adults." Clary looked at him for a beat being throwing her hands up in the air and stalking off to the exit. Climbing up the ladder, she stormed off in the direction of the Institution. The New York air seemed crystal clear compared to what she had just been breathing for the last fifteen minutes.

"I suppose I should go after her," Jace muttered.

"By the angel, Jace, if you don't I'll put on a blond wig and go myself!" Alec said as he started to walk. Magnus grinned and followed him, his catlike grace coming out as he walked on the sewer ledge.

Jace got up on the opposing ledge and jogged, having no trouble keeping his balance. Taking the ladder rungs two at a time, he sprinted down the street, scanning it for Clary. Rounding the corner, he saw her just at the end of it and knew the others would purposefully fall back to give them their time.

"Clary!"

"What, Jace?" She spun around, anger evidently written across her face. "How could you go and seek out those demons after I told you how much it worried me when you went without letting people know?"

"I went with Alec, though."

"And I'm sure Alec only went out of obligation, as he knew that you'd go with or without him. Jace, you just don't seem to get it." Her expression changed into one of defeat and she looked up at him. "It's hard enough knowing that you put your life on the line almost every day, let alone when you do it without me. I know that this is just how it is, it's what being a Shadowhunter is, but you have to help me out a little."

Sighing, Jace stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. "You're right."

"Whoa, wait a second, can I hear that again?" Jace looked down at her and smiled.

"I said you're right. I've been a little… irrational lately. I've been raised like this my whole life, programmed to kill demons. I've had nothing else up until now and it's freaking me out. I'm not used to being concerned about someone while fighting. I used to just go in for the kill, but now I'm always looking around, making sure you're okay. This is new for me, too. I'm… trying." His eyes locked on a flickering light bulb in a streetlight a couple yards away.

Clary grabbed his chin in her hand and dragged his lips down to hers. "That's all I needed to hear," she whispered. He smiled before cringing.

"I think that we should go home and take really long showers, because we both smell disgusting." Clary laughed and nodded, smelling her sleeve.

"I can hardly argue." Alec, Magnus, and Isabelle walked up the street, making catcalls.

"It looks like they made up, how cute!" Isabelle sneered.

"Hey, Izzy, Simon told me to tell you how much he likes sucking face with you." Clary called, laying her face on Jace's chest.

"_If _you guys are done, I'd like to go home and burn these clothes." Magnus said, brushing past them with Alec, lightly holding hands. Everyone turned and walked the remaining block to the Institute. Once all the hot water was used and the laundry machine was working furiously on getting the acrid smell out of the clothes, Clary snuggled into her sheets, eager to get back to sleep, even the sun was just coming up.

Tomorrow was supposed to be an easy day, with no demons or training, but an easy afternoon. Isabelle was trying to convince everyone to go to Pandemonium, but Clary wasn't sure that she was going to be up to it. She rolled over and opened her eyes, realizing she wasn't quite ready to sleep.

"God, Jace, a little warning would be nice," she gasped when she realized he was standing above her bed.

"Sorry," he grinned.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I just wanted to give you a goodnight kiss when you didn't stink."

"I think I can allow just one."

"Just one?" He leaned down, his hand on her pillow to support himself and kissed her forehead gently. "One." Her cheek. "Two." Her nose. "Three." Her lips. "Four." He whispered. "Goodnight, Clary." And then he was gone before she could object. Sighing, she flopped back on her pillow and waited for sleep to overtake her.


	4. Role Reversal

"Come on you guys, it'll be fun! We can blow off some steam and just let loose!" Isabelle was trying to convince everyone to go to Pandemonium and it wasn't working very well. That is, at least, until Magnus walked in.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Magnus, will you please try and convince everyone that we should go to Pandemonium tonight?" Isabelle begged, now grasping for straws.

"Sure, sound fun to me," he grinned. They all knew that as soon as Magnus and Isabelle were in the same boat, it was all over. "We leave at eight!" He announced, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I'll go call Simon!" Isabelle exclaimed, racing off towards her room. Magnus opened the fridge and groaned.

"Who let Izzy cook again?" The fridge was stocked with bizarre recipes that no one would eat. No one had the heart to tell Izzy to stop cooking altogether, however. He snapped his fingers and a plate of steaming pancakes popped up in front of him. "Much better," he sighed, sitting at the kitchen counter next to Alec, who was still brooding over going to Pandemonium and drinking his black coffee.

"This is going to be _so_ fun," he muttered, rolling his eyes. Jace grinned and punched him in the shoulder.

"Come on, Alec, where's your sense of spontaneity?"

Everyone filed in the club, looking hot. That is, everyone minus Clary. She had opted to go to dinner with Luke and Jocelyn. Ever since she'd moved out of Luke's house to give them some alone time, she'd hardly seen him. Plus, she wasn't exactly in the partying mood.

They all stayed together as they migrated through the crowd. As one big group, they danced the night away. For the first time, Izzy didn't flirt with every guy in the room. Her attention was solely focused on Simon. It was so nice to just let loose after the rigorous training and battles they'd been through. Magnus finally convinced Alec to dance with him, and eventually he got into it. Jace… Well, Jace didn't need anyone to dance with. Although, many girls offered, he just simply denied them.

"You guys wanna head down to Taki's for some food?" He asked after he was done dancing. Even though he would never admit it, coming here wasn't nearly as fun without Clary. They all understood, even though he hadn't admitted anything out loud, and headed to the door. Jace vowed to take Clary here with him sometime in the near future, just the two of them. His head was off in other scenarios and he was only broken out by a harsh shrill.

"Jace, look out!" Izzy shrieked. He spun around, only to see one of the most hideous _things_ he had ever seen. It cried out and Jace saw that it had three tongues. Before he had a chance to move, it brought down its tail, which, oddly enough, was placed in the middle of its back, and slashed it across Jace's chest.

At the same time, Jace drew out his uniform seraph blades and lodged one in its chest and face, respectively. It cried out agonizingly before falling to the ground and dissolving.

"What the hell was that?" Izzy demanded.

"Drelik demon," Magnus muttered, pushing forward to Jace. He held his arms out and Jace looked at him questioningly before collapsing, falling into his arms. "Simon, run home to Clary and tell her to get Jace's room ready for him." Simon looked at him reluctantly. "Now, Simon!" He turned and took off down the street, his speed barely passable for human.

"Magnus, what's wrong, is he going to be okay?" Izzy and Alec were suddenly at his sides. Magnus motioned for Alec to help him carry Jace.

"We need to get him back, now." Izzy stayed on guard around them, making sure no other freak demons came popping out of alleys or sewers or wherever.

"Drelik demons are one of the most poisonous I've ever experienced. If not treated, the poison courses through the body and kills it within an hour." Izzy clamped her mouth shut and kept her eyes forward. With some effort, Alec and Magnus managed to carry Jace home in under fifteen minutes. The welt on his chest was rising, discharging some sort of blackish-purple fluid.

Clary and Simon were waiting on the steps, and as soon as they came into view, Clary started demanding what had happened. They ignored her and walked up the steps. Only when they got in the elevator did Simon start repeating the odd occurrence.

"Oh, god," Clary moaned, leaning her head back against the wall. The doors dinged open and Magnus and Alec walked out first, heading towards Jace's room. Clary had pulled the sheets down, but there wasn't much else to do. His room was meticulous, as always. She'd gotten some extra pillows and some washcloths, some water, and a bowl.

Once he was laid out on the bed, Magnus immediately went to work. "Out, everyone," He demanded. "Clary, you can stay. Just stay quiet." Simon rounded up everyone and shut the door behind him. "Do you have a bowl?" Clary nodded. "You're gonna need it." She picked it up and watched as he hovered his hands over the wound in Jace's chest, and then to his head. He rested his fingers lightly on Jace's temples. "Get ready, Clary," he warned.

Just then, Jace's shoulders shook once and he pitched forward. Clary shoved the bowl underneath him just in time to catch what looked like vomit with a purple tint in it. She stroked his forehead. Once he was done, he dropped back onto his pillow, without once ever opening his eyes.

"Go dump that out in the toilet and then throw the bowl away. The poison will eat through the plastic eventually." Magnus continued checking Jace's body, before putting some topical ointment on the wound. Clary almost found it comical, to be treating such an uncommon wound with something so… ordinary. She went into the bathroom and dumped the bowl out, doing her best not to take in any breaths. Magnus was right, she could see the bowl starting to bubble. She quickly tossed it in the trash can and walked back out.

"Will you hold him up so that I can wrap the bandage around him?" Clary nodded. She walked over and put her arm around Jace's shoulders, hoisting him up. Magnus quickly started wrapping the bandage around him, going until it ran out. Once she set him back down and Magnus started to leave, she decided she was allowed to talk.

"Magnus?" He turned to look at her. "What do I do?"

"Just stay here with him. You might want to get comfortable, it's going to be a couple hours at least until he walks up. Try and keep check of his temperature, if he gets hot, put a cold rag on his forehead. He'll get hot, too. It's going to fluctuate a lot. His body has no idea how to handle the poison. Mostly, hold his hand. He has no idea what's going on right now." With that, he made a sharp turn and left the room. Clary could've sworn she saw a couple flecks of glitter shimmer down to the floor.

Turning her full attention on Jace, she bit her lip. His fair skin was pallid, almost devoid of any color. She figured that an _iratze _wouldn't help at all against this kind of injury. She pulled up a recliner that was in the corner of his room and sat down next to his bed. "Come on, Jace, you gotta make it through this." She whispered.

Jace just laid there, his brow faintly creased. _If only I'd been there. _Clary thought, and then scolded herself for. While she wished more than anything that she could've been there to help, or something, she knew it wasn't her fault. Instead, she started hating the demon that attacked him. Jace let out a sort of whimper-moan and Clary snapped her head up. His face was coated in a sheen of sweat.

Clary soaked one of the towels that she's brought out in water and set in gingerly on Jace's forehead. She stroked his cheek gingerly before resuming her seat next to him. Once again taking his hand, she occupied herself with tracing all of the scars of his hand, over and over again. She glanced up and realized he didn't need the towel anymore. She took it off and put it back in the bowl she got it from.

"Of course, the one time that you don't go willingly walking into a death trap is the one time you get seriously hurt, you stupid jerk," she sighed, lacing their fingers together and taking them apart again.

"One would think that you would stop badgering me long enough to care about me on my potential death bed." Clary's eyes shot up and she saw Jace weakly looking at her.

"Oh, my god, Jace!" she cried, and started kissing him immediately. "The one night I don't go with you guys."

"Clary, I love you, but you're killing my esophagus." He wheezed out.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, jumping back and creating a huge gap in between them. Jace clenched his jaw and waited for the fresh wave of pain to pass.

"Clary, what's going on-" Magnus opened the door and stopped when he saw Jace awake. "What are you doing awake? It's only been two hours. You were supposed to be out for at least three!"

"Have you ever seen Jace follow regulations?" Alec smirked, walking in the room. Izzy was not one step behind him, an excited smile on her face. Everyone was so happy to see him but Jace could hardly concern himself with them.

"Magnus, why- why can't I sit up?" Hearing Jace's question, Magnus grimaced.

"Yes, I was afraid that was going to happen. See, the Drelik poison is very volatile as it is. Since it was injected almost right over your heart, it got to your nervous system much faster than normal. I can't be certain, but you may have a temporary muscular paralysis from anywhere from a couple days to a week."

"So how can I talk perfectly fine if I'm paralyzed?"

"The poison must not have had the chance to reach that far before I stopped it."

"So, what, I'm just going to lie here all week?"

"Yeah."

"And do what?" Jace demanded furiously.

"I dunno, read a book. All I know is, you're not going anywhere for a couple days, not until I can get a better understanding on your condition."

"Looks like you're stuck with me, Jacey-poo," Clary smirked as she walked up to his bed. Jace winced.

"I don't know whether to be excited or terrified."


	5. Resistance and Progress

Magnus had given Clary the run through of how to take care of Jace: she was supposed to apply the ointment to his wound every hour, make sure he drank plenty of water, and basically never leave his side. Jace wasn't cooperating very well.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm taking care of you, so you can either make it harder on yourself or you can help me," Clary glowered, sticking her hands on her hips.

"Well, if _you _are taking care of _me_, then why would I make your job any easier?" Sighing, Clary took a step closer and cut the bandage that was around his chest. She gingerly peeled it back. The gash decorating his skin wasn't looking any better. Coating her fingers in the ointment, she started rubbing it in as lightly as she could.

"Ow."

"Oh, shut up, you big baby." She left the wound uncovered for a couple minutes while she washed her hands and got some fresh gauze. "Are you hungry yet?"

"No."

"Jace, come on. You need to eat something; it's almost been a day since you've had anything."

"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth. Clary knew that this was really hard for him, he wasn't used to relying on anyone and especially not having someone feed him. He still couldn't move anything from his neck down.

"I'm going to go get you a smoothie or something." She smiled at him briefly. Walking out the door, she nearly bumped into Alec, who was holding a piece of paper that was scribbled all over.

"Hey, you guys want anything?" he asked. "Going to Taki's."

"Yeah, actually, get Jace a smoothie, and I'm good."

"What kind of smoothie?"

"Surprise him," she grinned. "But don't make it too gross, he has to actually eat something." Alec smiled lightly before walking off down the hall. She slipped back into Jace's room and found his eyes glaring at her.

"That was fast."

"Alec's running to Taki's for some food. When are Robert and Maryse getting back from Idris?" She asked, resuming her position at his bedside.

"They should be back in a week. Won't they be surprised when they come home and find that we've all died from clogged arteries?" Clary smiled and took his hand, even though she knew that he couldn't feel it.

"Wait, Clary." She looked up at him. "I can feel that."

"What?"

"You holding my hand, I can feel it in my fingers."

"Really?" She brightened up.

"I mean, it's only a little bit, but I couldn't feel it at all before."

"Still, this is great! You're making progress." She thought she saw a flicker of a smile on his cheek before he wiped it off his face. "Do you mind if I go take a shower?"

"Be my guest."

"I'll be right back." Clary slipped out the door and jogged down to her room, grabbing another pair of jeans and t-shirt. She then grabbed her shampoo and conditioner out of her bathroom and walked back to Jace's room. Jace raised an eyebrow at her as she made a move to go into his bathroom.

"Wait, why are you going in there?"

"Well, I'm not going to go all the way down the hall. God forbid you actually need me, you can just yell."

"You're going to be taking a shower in there?"

"Yeah, don't think about it too hard," she smirked. "And don't worry about me messing up your OCD neatness, I promise I won't touch anything." With that, she closed the door behind her and jumped in the shower. When she emerged, clean and damp, Alec was trying to force the smoothie down Jace's throat.

"Alec, stop shoving that _damn thing_ in my face before it ends up some place only Magnus should go!" With that, Alec turned a bright red and set the smoothie down on the bedside table and walked out, throwing Clary a sympathetic look.

"Jace," she sighed, sitting down in the chair Alec had previously occupied. "You have to eat, or your body won't have enough energy to keep fighting off the poison. Now, so help me, Jace, just drink the dang smoothie." She picked it up and put the straw near his mouth. He simply continued staring at her with stone set eyes.

"No."

"Why not?" she demanded. Clary knew it was a matter of pride and tried to find some way to reason with him. "What if I went to the kitchen and got a bendy straw and then you could do it yourself?" Jace gave a curt nod and Clary ran out of the room before he could tell her he changed his mind. She ran down to the kitchen and barged in. Izzy, Alec, and Simon were sitting at the table eating various dishes from Taki's. Izzy's latest cooking expenditure sat, charred beyond recognition and still smoking in the sink. Clary dug around found the box of straws and grabbed one before leaving without a word.

"Took you long enough," Jace muttered. She stuck the straw in and shoved it in front of his face.

"Drink it, right now," she demanded. "Jace." Her voice was warning. When she didn't break his stare, he succumbed and started drinking out of the straw. Clary didn't relent until the smoothie was only halfway full. "Good boy." She said, patting his head mockingly. Seeing the relinquished look in his eyes, she sighed. "I realize this is hard for you. I get it, and I'm really sorry this happened. But you've gotta help me with this."

There was a moment of silence before he nodded. Clary smiled and leaned forward, kissing him gently. However, she'd forgotten how enticing his kisses could be and he commanded her full attention. Forcing herself to remove herself from him, she smiled, albeit sadly. She hated that he had to be like this.

"Hey, it's okay." He reached up and stroked her cheek.

"Oh my God, Jace!"

"What?" He retracted and looked at her.

"You just moved your whole arm!" she exclaimed.

"Shit, I did." He realized as a grin spread on his cheeks.

"You're making so much progress!" She kissed him before running out to find Magnus. Jace was making a really fast recovery, and he needed to know about it.


	6. Logical Fear

Clary had fallen asleep in the recliner by Jace's bedside for the fourth night in a row. Normally, she would wait until Jace had nodded off before settling down in a light sleep. She was always ready to wake up at a moment's notice if Jace should need her. But last night, she had mistakenly fallen asleep before Jace did. Not only that, but it was a deep, dreamless slumber that she wasn't easily woken up from.

Jace noticed and he smiled. While he was undoubtedly glad that they got to spend all of this time together, alone, he felt bad for being such a burden. Besides bringing him food and helping him walk to the bathroom, Jace rarely required her undivided attention anymore. Again, he wasn't complaining, but he just thought there _had_ to be something else she would rather be doing.

Magnus had even reduced the hourly bandage change until it was only three times a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Despite all of these positive changes, Jace couldn't help feeling discouraged about his physical progress. As of two days ago, he was able to control most of his upper body, getting a little hazy towards his abdomen. Now, the only sign of mobility below the waist was a twitch in his foot yesterday. He hadn't been able to do it again since. Clary had ensured him that it was a significant sign, but Jace wasn't buying.

He still felt hazy, like he was only half awake. If he were to even attempt to do anything academic, he was sure that he would just faint from overexertion. Not to mention the gash decorating half of his chest. It was still an enflamed, scarlet color and it was still puffy. It had yet to form a scab, which is why it was still necessary to change the bandages more than once daily.

"Did I fall asleep?" Jace nodded with a smile. "Like really asleep?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Crap, Jace, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Clary."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Not even five minutes, Clary. Calm down."

Ignoring his last statement, she sat up and wiped her eyes blearily. "Hungry?"

"No, I-" He stopped himself. He already knew that she would force him to eat something, so he just bit his tongue and nodded. She gave him a knowing, mocking smile. She almost asked him what he wanted, but she knew that he'd just shrug and say whatever she was having.

When she walked into the kitchen, Alec was just setting down a box of doughnuts down on the counter. As he saw her shuffle in with her clothes slightly disheveled and her hair rumpled from sleep, he let a small smile slide onto his face. He grabbed a paper plate and put a glazed doughnut and two vanilla with sprinkles on it.

"Thanks, Alec," she said as she stepped forward to take the plate. He nodded and gave it to her. Clary turned to go back to Jace's room, but at last moment changed her mind. She set the plate down and put her arms around Alec. He stiffened in her unexpected embrace but eventually managed to lightly hug her back. "You really are amazing."

"Okay, mushy moment over," he said, releasing his hold on her. Clary laughed and let go, once again grabbing the doughnuts and heading for Jace's room. He was sitting up in bed, reading an old book about swamp dwelling demons.

"Oh, _man_, that looks intriguing," she sniggered as she took the glazed doughnut for herself and set the other two next to him. He closed the book, tactfully ignoring her snide remark. When she moved to sit down in the chair, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the side of the bed.

"You've been constantly keeping a two feet barrier between us and it's driving me insane."

"Sorry, it's just…"

"You don't want to hurt me."

"Jace, it's not that."

"Really?" Clary couldn't meet his eyes. "That's what I thought. How can I make you understand that you can't break me?"

"Jace, you're paralyzed from the waist down. A few days ago you could barely turn your head. I know that I can't break you, but I'm being constantly reminded that other things can."

"Clary," he sighed. "I'll get past this. I know this is hard for the both of us, but please don't shut me out, okay?"

"What do you want me to do?" She asked.

"Talk to me. Tell me what you're actually feeling." Clary looked at him for a moment, not used to this vulnerable, honest side of him.

"Uh… Okay, well, to be honest, it scares me to see you this dependent, this fragile. I'm not used to having to tiptoe around you, having to be gentle around you. I can't even kiss you because I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you." She took in a breath and looked at Jace, waiting for his reaction. She knew that it would probably be a wound to his ego.

He stared at her, taking in everything she'd just said. He stroked her cheek with a sad smile on his face. Leaning forward, he brought his lips to hers for the first time in days. Clary was surprised but it took her only a second to react. The kiss started out sweet and innocent, but as soon as she leaned forward and put her arms around his neck and held him close, it progressed _way_ beyond that.

Jace wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her flush up against him. Clary was careful to avoid moving against his chest and the huge gash that was on it. She raked her fingers through Jace's unbelievably soft hair. She knew she had to pull away soon, she needed to take a breath. Clary placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed gently.

Taking in a breath, she leaned her forehead on his shoulder. Jace chuckled and once again secured her in his arms. "I'm still me," he whispered against her hair. "I'll be okay." Clary turned her head and placed a gentle kiss on his neck. Fighting back tears, she curled up in his lap.

"I know," she said. For the first time since the attack, she wasn't afraid.


	7. Empty Promises

Jace was walking.

It's only been eight days since he was attacked by the Drelik demon and he was _walking._ Granted, he was only allowed to walk to his bathroom and back. To Jace, it was the most freedom he'd had in over a week.

Upon his insistence, Clary was going to the movies with Izzy today. It would be the first time since she left the house since that fateful night of the attack. For once, she was lenient about Clary's wardrobe and make-up.

"I'm not so sure about this," Clary sighed, jamming her fists into her jacket pockets. Izzy dragged Clary over to the ticket line.

"_Clary_, he'll be fine. He's got Magnus and Alec breathing down his neck," Izzy smiled. "Plus, this movie is supposed to be terrifying."

"I doubt it," Clary rolled her eyes. "'Scary movies' are never as scary as they're made out to be."

Izzy, determined to prove Clary wrong, walked up to the ticket window. "Hi," she smiled at the nervous-looking teenage boy. "Two for Haunted Hallows, please."

"That'll be $17.00." Clary almost felt bad for the stuttering boy. She'd seen one too many fall to Izzy's good looks and charm. Walking into the theater, Clary actually started getting nervous. The truth was she was an utter wimp when it came to scary movies. The last that she saw was_ Quarantine _and while Simon wouldn't shut up about how horrible it was, Clary hadn't been able to sleep for a week.

As the lights were dimmed, Clary hunkered down in the seat partially behind her bag of popcorn. Izzy smirked but pretended not to notice. She couldn't wait to use this against Clary.

"Come _on_, Clary! It was like a Scooby Doo movie with blood."

"I don't care! Luke bought me this demented monkey doll when I was four and ever since I've had this mortal fear of them."

"Look at you," Izzy tsked. "What happened to not being 'as scary as they're made out to be'?" She suppressed a giggle. Clary narrowed her eyes at her and walked faster, turning onto their street. "Come on, Clary, don't be that way!"

Yanking open the gate to the church, she kept up her pace. Just as she was reaching the front door she felt a hand grab her shoulder. The scream that was drawn from her lips was embarrassingly loud.

"Clary!" She felt a hand clamp down over her mouth. "You're gonna wake the whole block!" Izzy hissed. Even though she sounded angry, Clary could hear the underlying laughter in her voice.

"This is not _funny_!" Clary said, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. After taking a minute to force the smirk off of her face, Izzy said:

"I was just going to say sorry." It almost looked like the words physically pained her.

Swallowing her snide remark, Clary forced herself to say that she accepted the apology. She knew how hard it was Izzy to apologize for anything, no matter how trivial.

However, as they were walking out of the elevator, the normal Izzy was back.

"Magnus, Alec!" She ran down the hall in her stilettos towards Jace's room, where she knew they would be. Clary could feel her cheeks turning red. "It scared her!" Magnus, who was an absolute horror movie fanatic, had told them beforehand that the movie was "horribly garish."

Rather than watch them mock her, she turned into her room and flopped down onto her bed. She knew that in the morning, she'd think that this whole situation was funny. For the time being, however, she was a little ticked off.

"I mean, _really_," she huffed. As she robotically went through her nightly routine she purposefully avoided looking in the mirror. The last thing she needed was another reason to freak out.

However, her efforts proved to be fruitless. While she didn't see any freakishly overgrown monkeys in her mirror, she did hear weird noises in her room. Clutching her hairbrush, (she figured, if needed, she could club the intruder over the head with the thick wood) she inched across the bathroom and pressed an ear to the door. The noises had stopped.

"Clary," came an eerie whisper from the other side of the door. For a moment, Clary's heart leapt to her throat. Just like in the movie, the monkey always knew where she hid. However, the whisper was followed by a hushed amused chuckle.

"Good lord, Jace!" she exclaimed as she flung the door open. She saw that he had knocked over a bunch of books she'd haphazardly stacked by her door. Although she didn't say anything, she noticed that he was breathing a little heavily. His stance against the wall would normally look casual but now it just looked painful.

"I heard about your movie experience," he sneered.

"If you know what's good for your health, you'll shut up," she spat acidly, putting her hairbrush on the counter.

"I'm terrified."

"Well we both know that I can take you on a good day and you're not exactly at your best right now, so don't test me."

"Come on, Clary, don't be like that,"

"Be quiet before I make you go back to your room." Finally, she managed to successfully wipe the smirk off of his face.

"I made it here didn't I?"

"Barely."

"I wanted a change of scenery. Sue me."

"You can stay if you don't make fun of me."

Jace held his fingers up in the Cub Scout's symbol. "I promise." Clary ignored his sarcasm and pawed through her dresser for a pair of sweatpants.

When she turned around, Jace was lounging on her bed, arms behind his head, smirk in its usual place. "Enjoying yourself, are we?"

"Very much. Don't feel the need to stop on my account," he smiled. Ignoring him, she sat crossed legged on the bed.

"So, I couldn't help but notice that you kinda overexerted yourself on the walk down here."

"Did you, now?" His face was completely unreadable. Cautiously, I took hold of one of his hands.

"Don't get me wrong, it's amazing that you can make it down here at all.

"But?"

"But I feel like you're never going to fully recuperate if you keep pushing yourself like this."

"Clary, relax. It was just a walk down the hallway, not a 10 K run."

"Yeah, but look at you, Jace." I gestured to his chest that was still heaving a little more than usual. "You're not ready yet." She braced herself as Jace rolled his eyes and dropped his head back against the pillows he was propped up against.

He wiped a hand across his face and she was momentarily distracted by the ring he had on his finger. During a fight against a particularly difficult demon, the chain he always wore around his neck was broken. He hadn't had a chance to replace it yet, so he'd taken to wearing the ring around his pointer finger.

"Jace." She gripped his hand harder. "Listen to me." Clary waited for him to turn his head before she continued. "I love you and I understand your frustration. But I swear, I will put you in a strait jacket and strap you to your bed if you don't stop trying to do more than your body is capable of."

"Clary, I-"

"No, Jace, I mean it. You are making incredible progress. Magnus said that you shouldn't even be able to move your legs for another week, let alone walk." Jace smirked at that. "No, you're missing my point," Clary voice turn harsh. "Even though you are making astounding progress, that doesn't mean you should push yourself, Jace. You don't know the possible consequences."

Jace made a move to sit up. "Stop, Jace, just stop." He didn't listen and continued to try and prop himself up. Sighing, Clary heaved herself over him so that she was straddling his ribcage. "_Stop_," she reprimanded. "This is exactly what I mean! You're not listening to me."

"Clary, this is ridiculous. I've been sitting up for the past _week_. Why should that be any different now?"

"Just look at yourself! You're trembling, you're sweating." She put her hands on his shoulders, pushing them down to the bed. It was painful to watch his resigned features. He was giving up. "Hey," Clary whispered. She ran a hand through his hair. "It's going to get better. You're proof of that. By this time next week, you'll be training again."

"A week is a long time." His voice was the softest she'd heard in a long time.

"You'll be fine, I promise. And I'll be here with you every step of the way." She reached down and stroked his cheek. He leaned into her touch slightly. "And you have Alec and Isabelle and Magnus. We're with you every step of the way."

His eyes burned into hers. Slowly and almost imperceptibly, he nodded.

"You're going to be okay," she whispered. "I promise." He didn't say anything. Silently, she slid off of his chest and settled next to him. Jace reached over and turned off the lamp. Clary didn't say anything as she watched his trembling hand fumble with the switch. When the room was plunged into darkness, she put her arms around him and kissed his shoulder. "I promise."


	8. Tangled Relations

Robert and Maryse Lightwood were due back at the Institute the next day.

Alec had been a hot mess all day, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. One look at the kitchen (which Isabelle had dirtied beyond recognition), the library (Clary), and the training room (Jace, duh) and he switched into vacuum cleaner mode.

A couple hours into his frenzy, Magnus showed up. He knew that Alec's parents were coming back today and he figured that Alec was going to be practically manic until they had showed up.

"Being the magnificent boyfriend that I am," Magnus announced as he strutted down the hallway towards Alec, "I decided that I would help you on your nearly impossible mission of restoring this place to its original grandeur."

The dark-haired Shadowhunter looked up from where he'd been trying for the last five minutes to scrape the last of Izzy's failed pomegranate soup off of the kitchen counter. Without a word, Magnus made a sweeping gesture and all of the unidentifiable masses of sticky and impossibly revolting food just… disappeared. The pots used to create these nightmares were magically clean and hung on their rightful places above the stove. The fridge was cleared of moldy Taki's takeout and crunchy pasta.

Alec had a sneaking suspicion that the bathrooms were all clean, the training room had been tidied up and all the books in the vast library had been put back on the shelves where they belonged. Without a word, Alec dropped the sponge he was holding, crossed the kitchen to where Magnus stood and flung his arms around him.

"I have been trying to get this place clean for the last three hours and you just show up and do it in two seconds," Alec's voice was full of (slightly bitter) thanks. When he pulled back, he stared at Magnus. "It' not fair, you know, that you can do that."

"I'm sorry, are you _jealous_?" While Magnus managed to form a normal response, he was still recovering from the shock of Alec's public display of affection. Sure, it wasn't a heavy petting session, but a couple months ago, Alec wouldn't even be touching him right now, let alone hugging him like he was the Shadowhunter equivalent of Santa Clause.

"I'm _completely _jealous," Alec smiled. He withdrew his arms, realizing that he was still holding onto Magnus. With an amused smile, Alec took in his outfit of fuchsia leather pants and a pinstripe button down black shirt.

"So when are the beloved parents returning?" Magnus asked with a flip of his shoulder length hair.

"They never said _when_ they were coming home; they just said it was today." Alec watched wearily as Magnus raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that my little spell worked in your bedroom, too. You know how much Maryse disapproves of an unmade bed." Alec smirked as he led Magnus to his room.

"Oh, look at that," Alec mused. "It got here, too." Alec's room was somewhat of a happy medium between Jace's and Izzy's. It was never extremely messy, but it was never as minimalistic as Jace's room. However, thanks to Magnus, the room was now the cleanest it had ever been.

Magnus closed and locked the door behind him with a snap of his fingers. In the past week, between Jace's paralysis and Clary's paranoia, the two had had hardly any alone time. When he caught Alec's eye, he was surprised to find that it had the lustful gaze that he was sure his own eyes possessed. He crossed the small room in one stride and took Alec's face in his hands.

Their lips met in what started out as a soft, tender kiss. However, as Alec skillfully walked backwards while clinging onto Magnus, he brought them down onto the bed. With this motion, the kiss took a 360° turn. Alec found himself grabbing at Magnus' shirt, working the buttons with skilled, nimble fingers.

Magnus broke the kiss, regrettably, panting for air. Alec had managed to get half the buttons undone but his hands stopped when Magnus did. He watched dejectedly as his boyfriend sat up and started buttoning his shirt again.

"Why did you…?"

"I heard the elevator go off." Magnus said, looking apologetically at Alec. He'd never before cursed his sensitive hearing as much as he did just then.

"Oh," Alec sighed. "_Oh_!" He jumped and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to level it out as much as possible. He ran a hand over his sheets to try and erase any evidence that he and Magnus were ever on them.

By the time he managed to collect himself and run into the hallway, with Magnus on his heels, his parents were walking towards them with purposeful looks on their faces.

"Oh, _Alec_, there you are my darling!" Maryse exclaimed. She pulled Alec into a tight hug. After getting over the initial shock of his mother's emotional display, he glanced over her shoulder as his hulking father. He just smiled and shrugged. "It was so quiet when we got here that I was afraid something had happened to you," she gushed when she finally let go of Alec.

"Sorry, mom. Izzy's out and Jace and Clary are sleeping." Alec felt no compulsion to tell her that Jace and Clary were sleeping in the same bed or that Isabelle had run off to Simon's house for the night. Maryse looked hurt that her own daughter wasn't there to greet her, but Robert stepped in and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Izzy will be back soon, I presume?" Robert asked with arched eyebrows. Alec got the message and nodded his head.

"Within the hour," he promised, crossing his fingers that she had left her cell phone on.

"Well, I'll just go wake up Jace," Maryse determined, her short emotional breakdown passed. Alec opened his mouth to say something but closed it when he decided he'd rather Clary and Jace get a timeout. _They_ didn't offer to help clean, after all. Magnus had a knowing gleam in his eyes but otherwise said nothing.

"So how was your trip dad?" Alec asked. "I hope no one got hurt,"

Robert smiled, almost as if he knew what Alec and Magnus did. "No, no one was hurt. We followed the Saiamin demon pack for a while in the Greenback mountains but thought it was better not to attack. We left the herd to come back but most of the group stayed on to learn more about the herd's lifestyle and habits." Robert set his backpack down and leaned against the wall.

"Sounds… fascinating," Magnus stated.

"I know it doesn't sound that great, Magnus, but it was actually really a cool experience," Robert smiled.

"Alec! Oh, Alec!" Maryse came running out of Jace's room. "Jace isn't in his room," she cried. "Oh, I knew this would happen! I _knew_ that the trip was too long."

"Mom!" Alec exclaimed. She stopped short and looked around at him. "You might want check Clary's room," he coughed. He watched as her expression changed from one of distress to one of anger.

"Oh, you've done it," Magnus said with an amused grin. She pivoted on her heel and stomped down the hall to Clary's room.

"Get up!" She exclaimed. Robert led Alec and Magnus into the kitchen but they could still hear Maryse yelling at Clary and Jace. It was easy to tell when she got over the shock of Jace being shirtless in Clary's bed and saw the still impressive gash decorating Jace's chest. "What happened?"

There was a pregnant silence as Jace undoubtedly explained the incident in his most soothing voice. Five minutes later, the three walked into the kitchen: Maryse was obviously upset, Clary's rumpled appearance was accentuated by the blush tinting her cheeks, and Jace looked cool as ever.

"You didn't feel the need to mention this… situation, Alec?" Maryse asked, trying her best not to sound flustered.

"It didn't involve me," he shrugged. Maryse narrowed her eyes but gave it up. "_Where_ might I ask is Isabelle?" Alec looked in between Jace and Clary's stares, trying to decide what to do. Finally, when he looked back at his mother, he caved. "She's… at Simon's," he sighed.

While before she looked pissed, now she looked completely livid.

"Where. Does. He. _Live_?" She hissed.

"I don't know," Alec did a hands-up gesture, grateful that this wasn't a lie. Maryse whirled around and set her eyes on Clary. She didn't even have to say anything. Clary pulled the same defensive stance as Alec. Without Maryse saying a single word, she had Simon's address written on a piece of paper.

"I'll be back," she said curtly. When the elevator doors closed behind her, Jace smirked and sat at the kitchen counter.

"Poor Isabelle," he said with no sympathy in her voice whatsoever.


	9. Long Time Coming

The alarm clock told Simon that it was a little past nine in the morning. He looked down at the sleeping girl on the bed next to him. She'd come knocking on his apartment door last night. He'd heard her get on the elevator but he hadn't been able to bring himself to believe it was her.

_Her face read shock as she took in his naked torso. _

"_H-hi," she managed to stammer after a second._

"_Hi."_

"_Shower?" She raised an eyebrow in an attempt to be coy._

"_Yeah." He ran a hand through his wet hair and tried to think of something else to say. They continued to stare at each other, Simon leaning against the doorframe and Isabelle leaning against the wall opposite of the door. "What are you doing here?" Simon finally said, breaking the icy silence. "I haven't seen you in weeks."_

"_Simon…" Isabelle sighed and pushed herself off the wall. In her typical heels, her height just matched Simon's. "I know. I don't know what's going on with me." She looked at him demurely through his eyelashes._

"_Isabelle." Simon's voice had taken on an authoritative tone. "This _will not _turn into a booty call."_

"_Whatever you say, Simon," she feigned resignation._

"_I mean it. You can't just come over, unannounced, and expect me to ignore the fact that you haven't talked to me in over two weeks."_

_Isabelle's face fell. She pushed past Simon and sat down on the couch. Clenching his jaw, Simon closed the door after her and sat on the couch armrest. She pretended to take in her surroundings. Raphael and the others had pooled money together to help Simon get his own place. The only conditions were that he had to stay out of trouble and keep his grades up. _

"_Nice place," Isabelle finally offered, trying to break the ice. When she looked up at him, his face was impassive. She blew out a sigh. "Fine. I know I've been avoiding you ever since we kissed." _

_Simon made a sound that sounded like a mix between a laugh and strangled cough._

"_I've had my fair share of boyfriends: warlocks, werewolves, humans, other Shadowhunters-"_

"_Isabelle."_

_She stopped and took in Simon's weary expression. His hair was tousled in the most adorable way. His former lanky and gawky body had transformed into the stunning physique that comes with being a vampire. His pale chest expanded and contracted with each unnecessary breath. And his eyes watched her every move with great detail. Even when she had walked all over him, left him embarrassed after putting himself out there, he still cared about her. Most every other guy she had dated in the past would be long gone. Those that stuck around only did so because they were hoping to get into her pants. But here Simon sat, waiting for her to say something, hoping that it would be what he wanted to hear._

"_I love you," she breathed. "I think." She bit her lip and looked at him. "The feelings that I have for you are so much stronger than I have had for anyone else."_

"_That hardly means anything," Simon snorted before he could stop himself. _

"_Could you let me talk?" she snapped. Simon wiped his hand across his mouth to hide his smile._

"_Sorry. Proceed."_

"_I was _going_ to say that all my previous relationships were never meaningful. When I realized that I was growing feelings for you, I freaked. I'm sorry." _

_Simon rested his chin in his hands and stared at her from across the couch. "Could you repeat that part in the middle? I'm not sure I heard you right."_

_Her eyes narrowed "Of course you did, what with you and your vampire hearing."_

"_Humor me," he smirked._

"_I love you." Isabelle whispered, a slight blush touching her cheeks._

"_Sorry?" Simon asked, slipping off the armrest and crawling across the couch. "You weren't quite speaking loud enough." He'd reached Isabelle now. He held himself up as he hovered over her._

_Taking in a deep breath, Isabelle looked into Simon's eyes. "I love you." She said it with more assertiveness this time. "I love you, Simon." _

_Simon lowered his head to Isabelle's letting his lips hover over hers. "For the record, I love you, too." Isabelle hungrily closed the minute distance between their lips, wrapping her arms around his neck._

Now Isabelle was lying on her side, one arm thrown across Simon's waist. They hadn't gone any farther than their kiss on the couch.

_For once, Isabelle hadn't wanted anything physical. She'd pulled him down next to her on the couch and tangled their legs together. She placed a small kiss on the base of his throat before nuzzling into him._

"_Tired?" Simon mused, trailing his fingers down her arm. _

"_I'm sorry." Isabelle sat back and took in his features. "Do you mind? I had training all day and I haven't had a chance to rest at all." She barely managed to suppress a yawn. _

"_Of course not." Simon turned her around and pulled her close. "Don't even give it a second thought." Isabelle weaved their hands together and pulled them around to rest on her waist. _

"_Thank you, Simon." She knew that he understood that she meant more than for letting her sleep. With a slight smile, he kissed the back of her head._

"_Get some rest," he whispered. Without realizing it, she drifted off to sleep. Simon couldn't think of anywhere he'd rather be. _

_Sometime in the night, Simon realized that Isabelle wasn't comfortable. She couldn't get past a light slumber. Shifting so that she was cradled in his arms, he easily lifted Isabelle and walked into his bedroom. He walked around the clusters of dirty clothes that littered his floor and laid her down on his slightly unkempt bed. As he was pulling the comforter over, she startled awake, her ever-present Shadowhunter skills kicking in._

_Simon reached down to caress her face. "It's just me," he murmured. She leaned into the touch, closing her eyes. _

"_Well what are you doing all the way over there?" She extended her hand with a weary look on her face._

_Grinning, Simon took her hand and crawled into bed with her. "Sorry to wake you," he mumbled into her hair. _

_Isabelle turned and pulled herself closer to Simon, resting her head on his chest. "You can always wake me up."_

Simon was content to lie with her all night and for however many nights were to come. So when his cell phone rang, a little after nine he was surprised how fast the night had gone.

"Clary?" Simon asked after seeing her name on the caller ID.

"Simon, I thought you should know that Maryse is on her way to your place." He didn't need to ask her why.

"May I ask how she knows where I live?"

"Hey, don't blame me. You wouldn't be able to lie to her either," Clary said as if she were shrugging.

"Fine. Thanks for letting me know." Isabelle had woken when the cell phone went off but she threw an arm over her eyes in an attempt to block out the sunlight. "Your mother is on her way here."

"I figured as much," Isabelle nodded. "I knew they were getting back today."

"Do they know about us?"

"Until last night there was no us." Isabelle smiled. "I figure if my brother can date a gay warlock, I can date a Daywalker." He smirked and nodded.

"So you don't think she'll be mad?"

"Of course she will," Isabelle snorted. "I spent the night at your apartment. She's going to assume the worst." He swallowed and nodded, trying to play it cool.

"That's really comforting, that's great. Does it go against the Accords to kill your daughter's vampire boyfriend?"

"Simon, really."

"Okay, I am not being unreasonable. Your mom is _scary_."

"It'll be okay, I promise."

"Well as long as you promise."

"Do you know how close she is?"

"Clary didn't say. But I'll be able to hear her from the lobby."

Isabelle smirked and crawled to where he was sitting on the opposite side of the bed. "You just let me know when you hear her." He nodded and pulled her to him. Isabelle kissed him with a renewed passion. Sliding over his leg, she moved so that she was straddling his lap. Threading her fingers through his curly mop of hair, she couldn't get enough of him. Breaking for air, Isabelle made a trail of kisses along Simon's jaw, adding some nips and licks along the way.

Simon's breathing was hitched as he pulled her hips closer to his. He held his breath as she reached his ear and began trailing down her neck. Being Isabelle, she wasn't satisfied with leaving her mark on his neck. Her lips continued on a path down his chest.

"S-Stop," Simon stuttered. It took him a few seconds to tell that to his hands, which reached up and gently pulled Isabelle off. "She's in the elevator."

"I suppose we should compose ourselves." Simon smiled and kissed her cheek, leaning their foreheads together.

"Say it one more time," he murmured as he closed his eyes.

"I love you, Simon Lewis." He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. "Crap." She threw a glance at Simon. "You need a shirt." Without another word she walked out of the bedroom and opened the door.

"Isabelle Lightwood-"

"Hi mom." Simon scrambled off his bed and grabbed the first shirt he could find, which happened to be a slightly worn tank top.

"Where is he?" Maryse demanded. Taking a deep breath, Simon ducked out into the hallway, coming face to face with his girlfriend's _very_ angry mother.

"Mom, listen." Isabelle put a hand Simon's arm t o balance while she put her shoes on.

"No, you listen to me, Isabelle. What could you possiblybe thinking, spending the night with a _vampire_?" She whispered the word like it was disgusting, beneath her.

"Stop." Maryse blinked at her daughter's harsh tone. "When you got to the Institute, was Magnus there?"

"Isabelle, that's not the same thing and you know it."

"Why not?" She demanded. "You can't possibly know what he was doing with Alec or what Simon and I were doing."

"Regardless of what you were doing, you know that I do not tolerate you spending the night with anyone, Downworlder or not."

"I didn't 'spend the night' with anyone. Not in that sense." Maryse made a point of looking at the hickey that decorated Simon's neck. "Oh so what. If you undressed Alec and Magnus you would find dozens of them."

"Isabelle, that's highly inappropriate."

"So is assuming that I can't take care of myself. I slept here with Simon because I _needed _him like I don't need anyone at the Institute. I needed a break from Clary and Jace and Alec and Magnus. You have no idea what it's like, living around them all the time. It _hurts_, mom. And the only person that I knew that has been here for me was Simon. I know I'm a Shadowhunter, I know I'm supposed to be strong but sometimes I can't. I can't show weakness around any of you because it makes me less of a warrior."

Simon silently took her hand. Maryse's eyes flicked down to look at their hands intertwined before focusing back on her daughter. Isabelle squeezed Simon's hand. "Simon was the person I went to when I couldn't breathe because I missed Max. He's the person I saw when Clary revealed to everyone in Idris who they loved most. It might have taken me longer to realize it, but I _love_ him, mom. I don't care if you approve of our relationship because I will not stop seeing him. I couldn't do what we do every day without seeing Simon."

Maryse's eyes were very calculating. "Very well. Isabelle." She indicated that they were leaving and that she didn't have a choice in the matter. Knowing it was the best she was going to get, Isabelle let go of Simon's hand.

She held her head high as she followed her mother down the hallway to the elevator.


End file.
